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Fine polystyrene microplastics render immune responses more vulnerable to two veterinary antibiotics in a bivalve species
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Researchers investigated how fine polystyrene microplastics interact with veterinary antibiotics oxytetracycline and florfenicol to affect the immune system of blood clams. The study found that antibiotics alone caused significant immune suppression, and the co-presence of microplastics significantly amplified these toxic effects, suggesting that microplastics can make marine bivalves more vulnerable to chemical pollutants.
Living in close proximity to the sediment of coastal areas, bivalves may be exposed to veterinary antibiotic residuals and microplastics (MPs) simultaneously. However, the immunotoxic impacts of veterinary antibiotics remain unknown in bivalves, let alone their interactions with MPs. Therefore, the immune responses of two representative veterinary antibiotics, oxytetracycline and florfenicol, was investigated in a bivalve species, the blood clam (Tegillarca granosa). The effects of the copresence of MPs on the immune responses triggered by these antibiotics were also analyzed. Results showed that exposure to antibiotics investigated led to significant alteration in hematic parameters and reduction in lectin content in serum. In addition to inducing ROS production, aggravating lipid peroxidation and DNA damage, and suppressing the hemocyte viability, antibiotic treatments also downregulated the expression of immune- and detoxification-related genes but upregulated apoptosis-related Caspase-3. Furthermore, the toxic impacts of antibiotics were found to be significantly increased by the copresence of MPs.
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Researchers studied how polystyrene microplastics interact with three common veterinary antibiotics in thick shell mussels. The study found that when microplastics and antibiotics were present together, mussels accumulated significantly more antibiotics in their tissues and suffered worse immune damage than from either pollutant alone. This synergistic effect included reduced immune cell counts, increased oxidative stress, and disrupted immune gene expression, suggesting that microplastic pollution may amplify the harmful effects of antibiotic contamination in coastal waters.
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Pollution in marine bivalves: The immunosuppressive effects of microplastics on Anadara granosa
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Researchers exposed blood clams to polystyrene microplastics for one week and found that the plastics suppressed their immune system in a dose-dependent manner. Higher microplastic concentrations reduced the clams' immune cell counts, hemoglobin, and disease-fighting enzymes. Since blood clams are a commercially harvested seafood species, weakened immunity could increase disease outbreaks in clam populations and potentially affect the safety of shellfish consumed by humans.
Bisphenol A and microplastics weaken the antimicrobial ability of blood clams by disrupting humoral immune responses and suppressing hemocyte chemotactic activity
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Researchers investigated how bisphenol A and microplastics, alone and combined, affect the immune defenses of blood clams (Tegillarca granosa). They found that both pollutants weakened the clams' antimicrobial ability by disrupting humoral immune responses and reducing the movement of immune cells toward infection sites. The study suggests that co-exposure to these common environmental contaminants could leave marine bivalves more vulnerable to disease.
The toxic impacts of microplastics (MPs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) on haematic parameters in a marine bivalve species and their potential mechanisms of action
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Scientists studied the combined effects of microplastics and a mixture of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs, common oil-derived pollutants) on blood clams. Both pollutants individually reduced immune cell counts and impaired the clams' ability to fight infections, but exposure to both together produced significantly worse effects than either alone. The findings suggest that in real ocean conditions, where multiple pollutants coexist, the combined impact on marine organisms may be greater than what single-pollutant studies predict.
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